


Not That Type Of Disney Princess

by Lady_Lombax



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: BAMF!Marinette, Chat likes strong women., F/M, Mulan (1998) References, Non-Consensual Kissing, The Evillustrator Episode, Unrequited Crush, creepy!Evillustrator, well more explicitly BAMF-y
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-06 12:11:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5416526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Lombax/pseuds/Lady_Lombax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When The Evillustrator's crush on Marinette proves to be more dangerous than either hero expected, Chat's new princess friend proves she's less of a 'Snow White' princess and more of a 'Mulan' kinda girl.</p>
<p>For <a href="http://lovelyblogtime.tumblr.com/"> Lovelyblogtime</a> who was kind enough to let me at one of the <a href="http://lovelyblogtime.tumblr.com/post/132022312723/guys">prompts</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unnerving Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Spoiler Alert! This fic does contain The Evillustrator acting in a way that unsettles Marinette and some non-consensual kissing in Chapter Two. If anyone (male/female/unidentified gender) ever acts the way I have written The Evillustrator, you have every right to remove yourself from their presence immediately and without excuse. I'll go more into this at the end of chapter two.

The skies were blue and even with rumours of yet another Akuma attack at  _Collège Françoise Dupont_ , the day was almost perfect for the civilians of Paris. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the beautiful day. All except a certain Ladybug.  
  


Landing in her room after leaving the 'traumatised' mayor's daughter in Chat's capable hands, Marinette huffed angrily as she threw her purse on the chaise lounge, Tikki letting out a disgruntled yelp. She couldn't believe Chloè! First she had humiliated poor Nathanael, then she had tried to bribe Sabrina into doing all of her portion of the work and finally she had drawn all over a picture Nathanael had drawn of Marinette!  
  


The amateur designer never understood what went through that girl's mind. Marinette paced in her room, mind still on her encounter with Chloè and her brief argument with Chat.  
  


"Hey!"  
  


Tikki fluttered over Marinette who held up her hands in surrender, realising with a guilty feeling what she had done to her dear friend.

  
"Sorry, Tikki." Marinette dropped her arms in exasperation. "It's just Chloè! She drives me crazy and I can't stand her!" Just thinking about the spoiled girl made Marinette riled up. Her jaw tensed and she clenched her fists. She really wanted to hit something in that moment. Preferably Chloè.

  
Tikki intervened before Marinette could get any more irritated. "Calm down, Marinette. In the end, whatever she does or says means nothing. She's not worth getting upset about."

  
Marinette felt the anger drain out of her. She sent a thankful smile to Tikki. Her tiny companion always knew just what to say to calm her down. It was a gift. She braced her hands on her hips and shook her head as she realised something important. "Keeping up a mask in front of her was hard. How Sabrina puts up with it, I'll never know." Marinette's eye widened and she let a horrified gasp. "OH GOD! THE PROJECT!"

  
Marinette leapt for her bag and pulled out her phone. She prayed Sabrina wouldn't be too angry with her for ditching. The influx of missed phone calls and text messages from the girl was surprising. Marinette scrolled down as she knelt on the floor.

_  
'Thirty-five texts and fifteen phone calls in just a few hours is a bit much.'_  Marinette recoiled in shock and grimaced. She had no idea just how Sabrina got a hold of her number nor why she need to contact her so eagerly.

  
"Uh oh. Looks like you have a new best friend." Tikki's voice was light and teasing.

  
Marinette suppressed the urge to shoot the tiny Kwami a deadpan look and instead, ran a hand through her hair. She couldn't deal with this right now. She had to figure out who the Akuma was, what they wanted, their location and how to protect Chloè. She just didn't have time to deal with Sabrina's new found clinginess and the presentation. She groaned and slumped over the chaise.

  
Barely hearing Tikki gasp, Marinette turned to see her friend dive into the purse out of the corner of her eye and yelped as The Evillustrator erased her window to step through.

  
He stood proudly in her room, dressed in a black and white striped shirt with a black circle on his chest. Within in the circle were three dots of blue, red and yellow while the Akuma had a stylised butterfly over his eyes. His pants were dark with red boots and flyaway dark red hair under a beret top off the look. A single artist's tablet was attached to his right forearm.

  
Something about the Akuma, the way his dark eyes trailed over her, set off her instincts. She smothered the urge to scream or to fight him off. Instead, she chose to speak.

  
"You! You were the one who attacked Chloè in the Library. What are you doing here?" Marinette angled herself between Tikki and the Akuma as she perched on the edge of her couch. If he had discovered she was Ladybug...

  
"I just wanted to see you." His voice was deep and made the hair on the back of Marinette's neck stand up. Something was wrong here. She knew that voice, but she just couldn't place it.

  
"Okay..." Marinette leant back from the piercing stare subtly. "Why did you attack Chloè?" She kept her voice gentle and curious, not daring to show any nervousness, as she gestured towards him.

  
The Evillustrator clenched his fists and raised one as a snarl passed over his face. His body shook slightly and he seemed to be restraining himself as he sneered out, "Because she is cruel, egotistical and a shallow bully." He closed his eyes as if to hold himself back from doing something.

  
Marinette blinked and pulled back further as she eyed the possessed boy wearily. He hadn't noticed her discomfort yet, but she resolved to try to act as normal as possible. She shrugged. "I can't really argue with that but, um..." She pointed with her right hand towards herself while inching her left hand towards Tikki. "Are you here to attack me?"

  
His eyes snapped open and his face went blank before confusion took its place. His eyes bore into hers. She froze. Unlike when Chat did the same, the dark eyes of The Evillustrator made her feel uneasy and almost like prey. It was a terrifying feeling.

  
"You? Of course not. You are Marinette." He took a step towards her. She adjusted her stance on the chaise, ready to give in to her fight or flight instincts that had been screaming at her the moment the Akuma had stepped into her room. "You are sweet, pretty and perfect. I would never harm you." The emphasis on particular words did nothing to elevate her feelings of distrust.

  
Marinette swallowed dryly. "Um, thank you. That...is.. er.. really flattering of..um..you." She managed to stammer out the sentence, hopefully not insulting the guy before her.

  
The Evillustrator smirked and stood proudly. He gestured to himself and Marinette as he spoke in an almost bashful  manner. "I just came by to say that it is my birthday today and I was wondering if you would like to join me for a celebration?"

  
Marinette inhaled quietly. No. She would rather be at Chloè's, listening to the girl brag about her imaginary popularity. No, she did not want to celebrate with an Akuma. Certainly not an Akuma who looked at her like a dog looked at a butcher's bone.

  
But how...

  
Spying the blue binder for her project, she thanked every deity there was that Sabrina had been trying to talk to her all afternoon. Marinette clutched the binder to her chest. "I'm afraid that I can't. Now isn't really a good time." She gestured to the binder as the smirk slowly fell from The Evillustrator's face. "You see, I have a project soon... and I...um... need to call... my... friend." Marinette got quieter and more uncomfortable as emotion slipped off the boy's face.

  
"Marinette. It'll be just the two of us." The Akuma looked her straight in the eye. Without missing a beat, he began to draw on his tablet, a small card appearing out of nowhere. He snatched it out of the air and presented it to her on one knee. "I absolutely insist."

  
Marinette smiled weakly and took the card. The intonation in his voice and the look on his face was making her heart race. She wanted to escape. Looking down at the card, she recognised her own face.

  
She also recognised the artistic style.

_  
'Oh, god. Nathanael.'_

  
She summoned her courage and slapped a smile on her face, facing The Evillustrator who she now knew to be the shy artist that sat in her class.

  
"I'd love to come." She squared her shoulders and prayed she wasn't making a mistake. "But on one condition."

  
The Akuma-

_  
'Oh, Nathanael. What happened to you?'_

  
-stood and grinned. "Anything for you."

  
Marinette stood firmly. "You have to leave Chloè alone. I hate violence." It was a bit of a lie. She did enjoy the adrenaline that came from a fight. The combination of strategy and physical movement thrilled her in a way like no other.

  
But meaningless violence had no place with her.

  
Nathanael's mouth twitched down in a brief display of displeasure before smiling in agreement. "Very well. I will meet you at Notre Dame after sunset." He scribbled on his tablet, causing a jetpack to materialise on his back. "So long,  _My Angel_." He shot out of the window.

  
Marinette let out a shiver when he left and collapsed onto the seat. The possessive tone in his voice and the dark look in his eye worried her. Something told her he would not be happy with her next plan. Marinette breathed shakily and let the binder go.

_  
'Nathanael would understand. He probably won't even remember what he's doing.'_

  
Tikki zoomed out of the purse as Marinette dug into her jacket for the drawing Chloè had been defiling. "What did you just agree to, Marinette?!" The worry in her voice was audible and the wide-eyed look showed that Tikki had not missed the domineering tone in The Evillustrator's voice. It was worrying for both females that the Akuma had taken such an interest in Marinette.

  
Pulling out the picture, Marinette sent Tikki a comforting smile which she was sure did nothing to elevate either of their worries. She showed her tiny companion the two illustrations. The similarities were glaringly obvious. "I think The Evillustrator is Nathanael. His crush on me and Chloè's humiliation must have caused his possession. If we do this right, 'Ladybug' will be able to catch him." She slyly grinned at the red Kwami who looked at her flatly.

  
"Yes. Great idea. Only how will she catch him if you are there at the same time?" Tikki waved at her partner in exasperation. "You can't be in two places at once!"

  
Marinette grinned. "No, but I'm sure a certain cat won't mind crashing a party for us."

  
Tikki grinned back.

  
Transforming into Ladybug, she pulled out her compact and called Chat Noir. Ladybug tapped her foot and mentally went over her excuse for 'not' being there. She felt safer from the earlier event and knowing she could defend herself much better being in costume as Ladybug.

**  
"You can't just disappear like that and call like nothing happened, Ladybug."**   Chat's mildly annoyed voice came through the speaker. Chloè must've done something.

  
All the tension from The Evillustrator's visit vanished. Just hearing his voice made her feel secure. Having Chat there would make the celebration with the Akuma much easier. Ladybug did feel bad for leaving Chat to Chloè's tender mercies, though. "Sorry, that wasn't nice of me but you can leave Miss Bourgeois. I need you to protect this girl." She sent Chat a selfie she had taken a few days ago with Alya. "Her name is Marinette." She heard Chat gasp almost inaudibly and couldn't resist adding, "She's cute, no? The Evillustrator has a crush on her and promised to leave Miss Bourgeois alone if Marinette went to his birthday celebration. You can use that distraction to neutralise him."

**  
"But what about you?"**

  
Ladybug prayed he would believe this. "Something in my civilian life has come up and I need to leave. I'll contact you as soon as I can. Will you be able to handle it without me?" Her voice took on a slight teasing note as she added the last part.

_  
'Of course, he can, but I can practically see his head inflate if I ever say that to him.'_

**  
"Of course, My Lady! Who do you take me for?"**  Bingo.

  
"Her address is  _The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie_ on the corner of  _Quai de Montebello_ and  _Rue Saint-Julien le Pauvre_. And Chat?"

**  
"Oui?"**

  
"Be careful. Marinette said this guy gave her the creeps and she really doesn't trust him. Watch your back." Ladybug wanted to go into how he made her feel like a piece of prey but going into it too much would make him suspicious. He did, however, need to be aware that this Akuma was dangerous.

**  
"No worries, Ladybug. I'll watch my back and Marinette's. We'll be fine."** He hung up.

  
Ladybug prayed that would hold true.

* * *

  
Opening the door to Sabrina's eager face was not something Marinette was expecting. The ensuing argument and comparison with Chloè were also unexpected. As Chloè's former lapdog/best friend walked away miserably, Marinette debated for a bit to tell Sabrina the truth or, at least, try to make it up to her. Telling Sabrina that she was going on a 'date' with Akuma would just be asking for trouble, though. It would be all over school before the day was up and Alya would be furious with her for putting herself in danger. Trying to balance two lives, her duties as a hero and her responsibilities as a  _Lycée_  student, was forever difficult.   


  
Her internal argument was interrupted by a familiar black blur dropping from the awnings. Chat Noir straightened up and looked over his shoulder at Sabrina. "Wow. Never mind the Akuma. I thought I'd have to save you from that girl's claws." He turned back to Marinette, who was internally praying for the strength not to mock him for the terrible cat puns. "Get it? Claws?" He wiggled his fingers at her.

  
Marinette suppressed the desire to roll her eyes at him. Good to know he was still completely incorrigible even when Ladybug was not around.

  
Chat gave her a grin as he knelt down. "But pardon my manners, I haven't introduced myself. I am Chat Noir." He kissed the back of her hand.

_  
'When did he grab my hand?'_

  
Marinette shook it off. Nathanael's visit must've shaken her more than she thought as she pulled her hand back and waved awkwardly. "Yes, I know. You're the one saving Paris all the time. I'm Marinette." She grinned nervously. Praying he wouldn't recognise her, Marinette put on a slightly enamoured persona. "What are you doing around here?"

  
Chat stood and gave her a grin. "I am to be your escort for the celebration, Angel."

_  
-"So long, My Angel."-_

  
Marinette couldn't stop the small flinch at the reminder. Chat immediately dropped his grin and looked at her seriously. "Miss?" He crossed his arms and his green-eyed stare pinned her to the spot. Unlike the Akuma's, his gaze was far more comforting and gentle.

  
Marinette gave a weak smile. "Please, don't call me that. The guy earlier...um..."

  
Chat nodded and gave her a gentle smile. "Say no more. Do you mind if I call you 'Princess' instead then?" The tone was respectful and polite but still with a hint of cheekiness.

_  
'You are completely hopeless, Kitty Cat.'_ The thought was fond as Marinette shook her head lightly and smiled thankfully. She relaxed completely from her previously tensed state.

  
Chat uncrossed his arms and posed in front of her, sticking his chest out slightly. "Great! And don't worry. If something goes wrong, I'll be there for you." He gave her the familiar cocky grin he always gave Ladybug and Marinette suppressed the almost overwhelming urge to laugh or roll her eyes.

  
"That's a relief." She grinned back at him as she held her arms behind her back.

  
Chat leant his body against the door frame, respectfully staying out of her personal space and propped a hand on his hip. "But I'm gonna need a paw. Want to help a superhero out?"

  
"Will it just be you this evening? Ladybug did mention something had come up. I thought you were a duo." Marinette spoke slyly. She did want to know how Chat would frame this one and throwing that out there would distance her from her alter ego.

  
Chat gave a light laugh and grinned at her. "Unfortunately, she has other important hero duties this evening that are completely unavoidable so if you want, you can my Ladybug for the night." He pointed towards her cheekily as if bestowing her a great gift.

  
Marinette almost jolted in surprise but managed to plaster on an excited grin. "Wow! I can't believe I get to help Chat Noir save Paris!" She wondered if she was overdoing it as she gestured excitedly. Probably not, seeing as Chat had pulled back to prop both hands on his hips. She spun around to him with a wide smile. "What do you need me to do?"

  
Smirking at her, he crossed his arms. "All you have to do is get The Evillustrator away from his pen, Princess. I'll take care of the rest."

  
Suddenly, he took on a more serious tone, much like the one earlier. "In all seriousness, however, are you sure you want to do this? Ladybug mentioned that you felt uncomfortable with him and you did flinch just a few minutes ago." Chat looked at her sternly. "I don't want you doing something that would make you feel like that."

  
The change in attitude stunned Marinette for a few seconds before she nodded determinedly with an easy smile. "This is the best bet you have at catching him right? I don't mind. Besides like you said, you'll be there to watch my back."

  
He narrowed his eyes at her for a few brief moments before nodding back. "Okay, but promise me something, Marinette. If he starts doing anything, even if it seems inconsequential, that makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, you do whatever it takes to get out of there. If you get there and find you can't do it, just leave. Don't worry about the consequences. Just leave."

  
Marinette blinked for a moment before gently smiling. Trust her Kitty Cat to be overprotective even when she's out of costume.

_  
'I should have known he'd be like this.'_

  
"Chat Noir, I'll be fine. But I promise if he does do something, I'll do whatever it takes to get away."

  
Again, his stance changed as he smirked at her and turned to leave. "Good. See you at the party, Princess." He saluted with two fingers over his shoulder and took off onto the rooftops.

  
Marinette couldn't help the giggle that came out of her. She felt much better about the approaching night. Chat wouldn't let anything happen to her. She had Tikki in her purse and a few other tricks up her sleeve if anything did go tremendously wrong. She would be fine.


	2. The Disastrous Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette arrives for the date and something just doesn't feel right. So, of course, things go south almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Trigger Warning** : There is non-consensual kissing in this chapter and once again, The Evillustrator is completely creepy.

The air was cool and the sky was cloudy as night fell. The stars and moon peeked out between the clouds and the street lights glowed gently in the darkness. All in all, it was a decent night.  
  


_'It's a shame that I won't be able to fully enjoy it.'_

  
Marinette's wistful thoughts went unspoken as she descended the steps towards the personalised _bateau mouche_ on the Seine. The deck of the boat was flat and raised with lanterns periodically placed around the edge. Small bushes lined the walkway between the railing and the main part of the deck. A scaled Eiffel Tower was positioned in the centre of the area. It was nice.

  
Crossing the simple wooden plank, she called out to The Evillustrator who seemed to be clutching at his left wrist urgently. "Happy Birthday!" She gave a bright smile that hopefully concealed how nervous she was.

  
The akumatised artist spun around and smiled sharply. She suppressed the urge to shiver at the unnatural way he stared her down. "Marinette! You came!" His voice was threaded with an emotion she couldn't quite identify but sent her instincts screaming once more.

  
She could do this. Chat was on his way. She could deal with being with an Akuma in civilian form. She just had to remain calm and trust Chat.

  
The Evillustrator jumped down off the bridge cabin and moved to stand close to Marinette. Wrapping an arm around her, he began to escort her down the thin walkway. He pushed her lightly to walk in front of him due to the narrowness of the path and spoke with the same emotion corrupting his words. "I'm so glad you came!"

  
Marinette clasped her hands together before her. "Wow. This looks amazing." It really did. The entire scene was a credit to Nathanael's artistic ability. Each lantern was perfect and the scaled Eiffel Tower was incredible. The whole atmosphere was wonderful. It was a pity she couldn't fully enjoy it.

  
"You really think so?  But this is only the beginning!" The Evillustrator leapt back to his previous spot above the cabin, Marinette breathing easier as he left her space. As the moon disappeared behind the cloud cover, he placed his pen to the tablet before noticing the lack of light. He growled at the sky as he looked up. "You have got to joking me right now!" His fists were clenched and his eyes were hard as he spun back to face Marinette. He put on a condescending smile. "Apologises, my Angel, but I can't draw in the dark." Kneeling down to get light from a nearby lantern, The Evillustrator failed to notice both Marinette's shudder at the possessive pet name and the smirk that followed.

_  
'You can't draw in the dark, huh? That could be useful to know.'_

  
A small moon appeared balanced on the top of the miniature Eiffel Tower and The Evillustrator gestured to it cockily. "Voila!"

  
Twenty minutes later, the two teens were seated on the dark wooden bench The Evillustrator had drawn up. Marinette watched him cautiously out of the corner of her eye as he drew music into the air. While he hadn't really done anything except intrude her personal space, she just couldn't shake the feeling something was much more dangerous for her than it appeared. She almost wished something would happen just so she could stop wondering what her instincts were trying to tell her.

  
Marinette glanced about as if to take in the scenery. She hoped Chat would show up soon. A movement in the shadows caught her eye on the rooftops.  The designer gasped inaudibly and felt herself relax. She knew those leaps. She also needed to start distracting her 'date' more thoroughly now.

  
Turning to the Akuma, she brought her hands to her chest in an innocent manner. "You seem very nice. I don't understand why you used your abilities to do bad things." Marinette widened her eyes in mock curiosity and shyness.

  
The Evillustrator stopped drawing music and turned to her with an arrogant smirk. "Angel, I only did those things to Chloè," He spoke to her like she was a small child. "But since you do not like violence, I will not go after her again. I promised, didn't I?" He leaned into her space and Marinette smiled, nodding nervously.

  
Edging away gently, Marinette almost sighed with relief as she noticed Chat appear on top of a bridge they were about to pass under. She wasn't sure how long she could do this. The faster it was over, the better. To cover up Chat's leap and to get the Akuma out of her space, Marinette made a request. "Can you finish that song? It was nice."

  
The Akuma smirk widely. "Anything for you, My Angel." He turned back to his tablet and began the tune from where he had left off, unaware of Marinette's inaudible sigh of relief.

  
Though a certain black cat had noticed her nervousness when he landed behind them.

  
Another five minutes passed before Marinette could think up a plan to steal away the pen. It was risky, but the sideway looks The Evillustrator were sending her sent slivers of discomfort down her spine. She had to end this. Quickly.

  
"You know," She hoped her voice sounded as casual as she was actually nervous, "I can draw a bit too. Of course, nothing up to your level of skill."

  
The music continued as The Evillustrator turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Not many are, but I'm sure you're decent." He looked back down at the tablet on his arm.

_  
'Thanks, I think.'_  

  
"So I was wondering if I could draw something for you." She turned to face her 'date' completely, spotting Chat crouched on the roof of the cabin out of the corner of her eye. "As a birthday present." She took the risk and held the stylus still between her fingers.

  
The Evillustrator snapped his head towards her and she gave a friendly smile. "That would be wonderful, My Angel."

_  
'Yes!'_

  
A small sound, the barest hint of a footstep and The Evillustrator glanced back through the corner of his eye.

  
Marinette swallowed, praying that Chat was out of sight _. 'Oh god. Please work.'_

  
The Evillustrator looked back at her with a sharp smile and a dangerous tone. "But on second thoughts, let go of the stylus now. I need to erase a stray cat that has appeared on my drawing."

  
Marinette felt her smile drop.

_  
'Oh no. Chat.'_

  
She yanked the pen out of his grasp and pulled away from her companion violently. "I can't let you do that. Chat Noir! He's all yours!" She leapt out of her seat, barely dodging The Evillustrator's grab and ran half way down the deck. When she looked back, Chat had extended his staff to block the Akuma from following him. The Evillustrator was seated on the bench, fuming. His face was twisted in a mixture of shock and anger.

  
Marinette felt her heart sink slightly. _'Nathanael, I'm so sorry.'_

  
His hands fisted on his lap and he snarled out to the dark haired girl, causing her to flinch back. "YOU WERE WORKING WITH HIM?! SOME **ANGEL** YOU ARE! MORE LIKE **SOME SORT OF MOCKING SIREN!** YOU ARE EXACTLY LIKE CHLOÈ, ALWAYS MAKING A FOOL OUT OF ME! **YOU BETRAYED ME!"**

  
Marinette felt herself recoil for most of the speech but once Chloè was mentioned, she felt the distress the situation rise up and twist into anger. She straightened her back, tightened her own fists and snapped at the possessed boy. "No, that's enough." She let out a frustrated sigh and gestured at the Akuma with the hand that held his pen. "What is with everyone comparing me to Chloè today?"

  
So caught up in her frustration, Marinette failed to notice The Evillustrator kick Chat's staff away from him, causing the end to smack his pen out of her hand until it was too late. Marinette gasped in horror and pain as The Evillustrator knelt down and leapt for the stylus. She cradled her hand in the other to try to soothe the ache that radiated from the blow.

  
The Evillustrator snatched the pen out of the air and landed on the faux moon, poised and ready to meet his opponent.

  
Chat retracted his staff, twisted it around and jumped to knock the Akuma off of his celestial perch, staff primed over his head. But it proved to be a futile attempt.

  
Drawing swiftly, The Evillustrator designed a clear glass box which materialised and fell directly above Chat. Chat grunted as the box collided with him and pinned him to the deck.

  
Marinette barely managed to dive out of the way as the clear prison fell. A brief yank across her shoulder went unnoticed during the adrenaline filled moment. Scrambling to her feet, she pounded on the glass, her eyes darting over the object looking for any faults. "Chat Noir!" She looked down and felt her heart skip a beat.

  
Her purse was in the prison.

  
Tikki was in the prison.

_  
'I won't be able to transform into Ladybug.'_

  
Her dive obviously hadn't been quick enough, judging from the broken strap pinned under the edge. She could only thank her luck that the purse component was unharmed.

  
She snapped out of her shock quick enough for it to be unnoticed as Chat began kicking the sides from his spot on the floor. Marinette began moving her hands across the prison once more in a desperate attempt to find any faults.

  
Nothing. The Evillustrator's talent was too good.

  
"MARINETTE!" Chat's desperate voice interrupted her search and she looked up as The Evillustrator jumped atop the glass.

  
He smirked cruelly down at them and Marinette slowly backed away. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her lungs expanded and contracted rapidly with each shaky breath. She could hear Chat yelling, screaming at her to run, but she couldn't leave him to the Akuma's mercy.

  
She rolled her shoulders and steeled herself.  Access to her miraculous or not, she was still Ladybug. Keeping her eyes locked on The Evillustrator's, she darted to the side, only to slam into a familiar glass pane. "Oh come on." Marinette rolled her eyes and muttered. Another glass wall appeared to the side, effectively boxing her in next to Chat who was on his feet and pounding on the glass next to her in a desperate attempt to get out.

  
The Evillustrator slipped off the top of the prison and stood. He blocked the only way out of the dead-end. "That really wasn't nice of you. Of course, I won't be keeping my promise now. As soon as I'm done here, I'll teach Chloè a lesson she will hardly forget anytime soon." He stalked closer to Marinette.

  
The Chinese-French girl spun around and pressed herself into the corner, taking comfort in the fact Chat was right next to her, still pounding on the glass. They made brief eye contact. His eyes were wide and desperate. She smiled at him weakly and looked back at the approaching Akuma who was staring her down. She still had one trick left up her sleeve and another was pressing itself into the small of her back, concealed carefully by her self-made jacket and latched on with a specially designed belt.

  
The Evillustrator pressed himself close to Marinette, pinning her right hand by her head and grabbing her chin with his own right hand. She pressed her lips together and glared up at him. "Tsk, Tsk. It's a shame such a sweet face hides such a cruel person behind it." He smirked, unaware of Marinette's free hand slowly inching down to her back. "Still I'm going to get what I desire from you even if you  are just another cruel temptress. I've wanted to do this for a while and you are very pretty." He leaned in and murmured. "No hero can save you now."

  
Marinette's eyes widened in shock and she flinched backwards helplessly as The Evillustrator pressed his mouth to her thinned lips. Chat yelled in outrage, a wordless cry of anger.

  
Anger, fear, frustration and a deep desire to _cause some pain_ churned up inside of Marinette. Her heart was pounding and her lips twitched into a snarl. Her eyes stung for a fleeting moment, but she refused to allow The Evillustrator the pleasure of seeing her cry. Hawk Moth had gone too far this time. She was not a victim.

  
Not now.

  
Not ever.

  
Barely a second had passed with The Evillustrator's lips pressed against her mouth when she thrust her knee directly into the Akuma's groin. He pulled back with a painful grunt and loosened his grip on Marinette. She was already in motion by the time he regained his senses.

  
Her left hand yanked out the eight and a half inches of rubber hidden under her jacket and flicked her wrist, extending a twenty-one inch long heavy steel baton with a pointed end under the handle. In the same heartbeat movement, she had whirled out of his grip and around the Akuma to put a foot of distance between the two. He spun to face her, only to find Marinette lunging for his left arm.

  
With her right hand latching firmly on his wrist, Marinette pulled him forward to throw him off balance and slammed the baton into his left cheek, causing him to cry out in pain. As he brought up his other hand to grasp at her, she lifted his left arm and spun under it. The movement allowed her to pin his arm behind him and for him to drop the stylus. She could feel him struggle and grunt from the pain and discomfort of his position.

  
Gritting her teeth, she allowed the adrenaline to fuel her movements. Memories of her standing in on a spongy gym mat every Sunday afternoon, practising and drilling each movement until they were ingrained into her very bones. Her mother's advice filled her head.

_  
"Keep turning Marinette. A target in motion is harder to hit."_

_  
"Watch your back and if it works, use it."_

_  
"Keep your limbs loose and your torso solid."_

_  
"Keep to the circle!"_

_  
"Remember, a real fight has only one rule: Survival. Fight dirty if you must."_

  
Using her opponent's unbalanced state to her advantage, Marinette, with one hand locking his arm behind him and her baton pressed horizontally across the top of his neck, pushed The Evillustrator head first into the glass Chat was behind. She released him at the last moment as he collided painfully with the wall.

  
She stood tall and jut her chin out after taking a step back to give herself some manoeuvrability for her next action. Her muscles tensed and she grinned savagely, the adrenaline pumping her in a way that only happened when she fought Akuma.

  
The Evillustrator pressed one hand against the glass to help him stand and looked at her in shock. His chest was heaving and his body was shaking from the pain. His mouth was open and he seemed too stunned to speak.

  
"Who says I need a hero to save me?" The Evillustrator's eyes widened as Marinette spun counter-clockwise on one foot and slammed her left heel into his temple. He crashed once more into the glass and slide down the wall. Marinette landed with her left leg extended in front of her, the other leg bent under her ready to further defend herself if needed.  Her left arm followed the line of her body with the baton clenched tightly in front of her while the other hand had the fingers curled over and the palm flat, her arm curling up behind her head.

  
Marinette's chest heaved with each breath as she gently stood from her stance. She rolled her shoulders and approached The Evillustrator's slumped form. Checking that he was still alive, Marinette moved him into the recovery position. She looked up from her crouch next to the Akuma and met Chat's stunned green eyes.

  
Paris' favourite Black Cat stood slack-jawed, his limbs hanging loosely by his sides. His eyes were wide and tail hung slackly from its usual expressive countenance. It could have been the low light playing tricks on her, but it seemed as though red flush had made its home on Chat's face.

  
"Um, Chat Noir?"

  
Chat shook himself out of whatever funk he was in. "Wow, Princess. When I said you could be my Ladybug for the evening, I wasn't expecting that. That was amazing." The stunned awe in his voice sent heat racing across Marinette's cheeks. She stood and grinned at him. His cheeks seemed to darken slightly and his eyes flickered over her. Brushing a loose strand of hair from her face, she winked at the leather clad hero.

  
"Yeah, I know. I'm awesome." She looked at the prison carefully. "Hang on." Marinette looked behind her and picked up the baton she had dropped to move The Evillustrator. At the same time, she grabbed his pen from its place on the ground.  Chat would need it.

  
Marinette collapsed the baton down to its eight and a half inches length and gripped it firmly. She pulled back and violently slammed it into the glass. She repeated the action once, twice, three more times, hitting the exact same point, before the glass began to shatter. As the cracks started racing across the wall, the box dematerialised and vanished.

  
Chat shook his head and smiled at her incredulously. "I have to have amazing luck to surrounded by such ingenious women when I'm like this. You ever thought about being a superhero? You'd make a great one." He approached her slowly as she fiddled with the baton, strapping in place on her lower back under her jacket. The red on his cheeks seemed darker, but Marinette was too occupied to pay much attention to it.

_  
'I already am one, but thanks.'_

  
She smiled at him even as her cheeks heated up once again. It was nice to be genuinely complimented by Chat as her civilian self. "I'll leave the heroics to the professionals." Marinette glanced back at The Evillustrator. "What'll happen to him?" She turned back and blinked at the look on Chat's face. "Chat Noir?"

  
Chat's face was screwed up in disgust as he stared at the unconscious form and he shut his eyes for a moment. He sighed and his whole body slumped dejectedly. Marinette could see the events finally processing in his mind. He opened his eyes and looked at her with an apology clear on his face. "I'm sorry you had to do that, though. I promised you I'd watch your back and he still managed to get to you." He growled to himself and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Ladybug mentioned you felt uncomfortable with him. You should never have been in this position. It's my job to save you and all I did was..."

  
"Chat!" Marinette couldn't let him finish that sentence. "It's okay. Things went wrong and neither of us was prepared for it. The only reason I was even able to fight him off is because my mother is a _Ba Gua Zhang_ master who has been teaching me since I was a child and she never lets me leave the house without the baton. Even going to school, I have it strapped on when it's literally just over the road from the Bakery."

  
Chat raised an eyebrow. "You take a weapon to school?"

  
Marinette shrugged helplessly. "Her mother had a bad experience and it kind of just passed down." She reached out with both hands and squeezed his biceps. She moved her head to make eye contact with him and made sure she held it. "I'm ok. It wasn't your fault. It was a bad situation and nobody got seriously hurt." She smiled at him gently and dropped her hands. She passed Chat the pen. "Besides, how many people get to say they helped the 'Great Chat Noir' stop an attack and kicked some ass while doing it?" Her voice took on a teasing note as she passed him by to pick up her purse.

  
Chat let out a low laugh. "You'd be the first, Princess."

  
Taking a quick peek inside her purse, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief as Tikki gave her a quick thumbs up. She closed up the purse and made a note to fix it as soon as she got home.

  
While she had been checking her purse, Chat had ducked into the cabin and drove them to the next docking space. The boat gently pressed up against the brick and Marinette grabbed the wooden plank to depart. She walked across it confidently and held it steady for Chat who had The Evillustrator in a fireman's hold. He dropped the possessed boy against the wall. Marinette crouched to double check that he was still breathing correctly and pressed two fingers to his pulse. The heart beat was slow enough to indicate unconsciousness but not slow enough to worry about.

  
Turning back to Chat, she watched as he broke the pen in two and drop the pieces on the ground. The boat and everything on it disappeared once the pen was broken. Chat pulled the golden bell off his zipper and threw it at the black butterfly that escaped the possessed item. The bell glowed for a brief moment then pulled the Akuma inside of it, turning the bright gold into a tarnished silver. It dropped back into his hands.

  
Marinette blinked in shock. "I didn't know you could do that. I mean in all of Alya's videos, it's Ladybug who fixes the butterflies."

  
Chat laughed and looked over at her as he held the bell tightly. "Glad you think I'm capable of doing something brilliant like that but, no. Ladybug is the only one who can purify them and make sure they do no more damage. However, my bell can act as a container until Ladybug gets here. It's not something I do often. In fact, I don't think I've done it since Ladybug and I teamed up." He held the silver bell up to the light, twisting it curiously. "It can only hold one at a time, but that should more than enough for me to escort you home, Princess."

  
Marinette shook her head. "Don't worry about me." She gestured to the former Akuma. "You should keep an eye on him until he wakes up or until Ladybug arrives." Chat glanced between her and the slumped Evillustrator. He looked like he was about to refuse so Marinette pulled the baton out and waved it in his face. "I will be fine. I've taken plenty of late night walks for inspiration before and my purse has mace in it as well. We're only fifteen minutes from my home. I'll be fine." She smiled at him encouragingly. She needed to make him agree if they wanted Ladybug to arrive.

  
Chat looked as if he was about to argue but sighed. "Fine. Can't say I don't know when to give into a pretty face." Marinette suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "But as soon as I'm done here, I'm swinging past to make sure you made it home ok." Marinette opened her mouth to argue back, but Chat raised his hand to stop her. "Please, Princess."

  
Chat's eyes were wide and he had the same stubborn tilt to his tense jaw she had rarely seen but knew that nothing she could say would change the cat's mind. It was such a change from his usual carefree flirtatious attitude that Marinette nodded in accordance as she slipped the baton back into its hiding place once more.

_  
'That fight must've really messed with him.'_

  
Chat relaxed and grinned at her. He bowed, holding his hand out for Marinette. Curiously and yet knowingly at the same time, she put her hand into his and almost laughed when he brought it up to his lips. Marinette was stunned for a brief moment when he hovered a few inches away from the back of her hand respectfully, eyebrow ticked upwards in a silent question. She gave an accepting smile, permission as silently granted as it had been asked for. Dry lips pressed against her knuckles for the briefest of moments. Marinette felt a wide grin cross her face at the incorrigibility of her partner.

  
"Get home safely Princess. I'll see you soon." He dropped her hand.

  
"See you soon." Marinette turned and jogged up the carven steps a few meters away, only stopping to wave goodbye at the top. Chat gave his own brief wave and she left, trotting a few blocks down to duck into the nearest alleyway out of Chat's hearing.

  
Marinette peaked around herself in the dark alley before looking down and addressing Tikki. "How are you feeling Tikki? Are you ok?"

  
Tikki's wide blue eyes watered for a moment. The black spotted Kwami suddenly zoomed out of the purse and collided with Marinette's cheek, tiny tears streaking down her own red and black cheeks. "Marinette, please don't do that again. That scared the spots off of me!"

  
Marinette felt her eye soften at the distress in her friend's voice and brought a hand up to cradle the tiny spirit. "Hey, it's ok. You know I can defend myself and while it was scary, I beat him. I won't deny that he did spook me and I have no desire to ever do that again. I'm just glad that it's over." Marinette turned and kissed her Kwami on the forehead. "Come on. Chat's waiting and I don't particularly want to leave him with The Evillustrator longer than needed." Tikki nodded.

  
"Tikki, Transform." A flash of light later and Ladybug stood in the alleyway. She pulled out her compact and call her partner. She hoped he hadn't done anything rash in her absence.

**  
"Evening Ladybug."**

  
"Hello, Chat. I've got to be quick in case I'm missed. Where are you?" She knew exactly where he was but thought asking would distance herself from the situation.

**  
"Near Pont De L'Archevêché. Marinette has gone home and The Evillustrator is unconscious. How soon can you get here?"** Her partner sounded agitated and she could practically see his tail twitching restlessly.

  
"I'll be there in under five." Ladybug ended the call and swung her yoyo, moving around as if to approach from a different direction. The tone in Chat's voice worried her. It wasn't normal for him to sound so distressed. Hopefully, he'd open up a bit more to Ladybug than Marinette.

  
Ladybug landed on the concrete wall above the two boys, one unconscious and the other glaring down at the former. She jumped down to her partner's left side and saw Chat's leather cat ears twitch, but he didn't take his eyes from The Evillustrator. His silver bell was gripped tightly in his left hand.

  
Ladybug reached out for Chat's shoulder with her right hand. "Chat?" Her voice was soft and she saw him sigh.

  
"I messed up, Ladybug. Badly. He was able to trap me and Marinette ended up paying for it." His tail jerked around and his body shuddered. The grip on his bell tightened.

  
Ladybug swallowed and tugged Chat into a hug. "Is she ok?" She had to distance herself from the circumstances in a way that kept her identity a secret but still allowed her to comfort Chat. "I doubt you would have let her go home if she wasn't." She felt Chat nod into her shoulder.

  
"She said she was fine, but you didn't see what happened. I got caught in a damn glass box and he pinned her into a corner and he forced himself onto her and I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Chat pulled away and ran his hand through his hair, yanking on the ends. His jaw tensed and his green eyes darted away from her as if he was ashamed. "We should never have let her do this. We should have found another way. It was only thanks to her knowing martial arts that The Evillustrator was stopped."

  
Ladybug slumped and felt her eyes soften. "Chat?" Her voice was gentle. "I don't know exactly what happened-"

_  
'Liar.'_

  
 "-but the Chat Noir I know would have done everything to get to her. He would have protected that girl with everything he had and more. I have no doubt you did everything you could. It wasn't your fault."

  
Chat let out a laugh. "That's exactly what she said too." He relaxed.

  
Ladybug let out a smile. "Then you should listen to us. Things happen and we aren't always prepared for it. Now, where's the Akuma? I need to get back before I'm missed." She really did. Her parents would be wondering where she was and she didn't want Chat to arrive at her house only for him to find her civilian self not there.

  
Chat held out the bell and Ladybug made herself frown at it. "Er, Chat?" While _Marinette_ knew that the Akuma was in the bell, _Ladybug_ didn't.

  
"Paw-sitively cool trick, right? I can break the thing that the Akuma hides in and contain the damn thing in my bell until you can purify it! I can only do it one at a time, but it can save us some trouble." He grinned smugly and his body straightened. It was good to see his usual confidence back and she couldn't help the wide grin that crossed her own face.

  
One cleansed butterfly later, Ladybug used the cleansed energy from the Akuma to produce Healing Light. The red light fluttered off to fix what needed to be fixed and the dark smoke of the Akuma possession bubbled over the stirring form of The Evillustrator, leaving Nathanael to blink up blearily at the two heroes.

_  
'I hope that fixes my window. I don't really want to replace it.’_

  
"Where am I? What's going on?" Nathanael was frowning confusedly and glancing around him. Chat seemed to be trying not to glare at him and Ladybug sighed.

  
"It's a long story, but I need to go. We're by _Pont De L'Archevêché_. Do you live close by?" At the shake of his head, she turned to Chat. "Can you make sure he gets a taxi or something to get home safely?" She pulled out the emergency stash she usually kept in her purse with Tikki and passed it to the red-headed artist. "Use this to get home."

  
Both boys nodded. "I'll stay for the taxi to arrive and I'll explain. You get back to what you were doing." Chat had tensed up again and was trying not to look at her classmate as he spoke tersely.

  
Ladybug patted his shoulder and gave him a serious look. "Okay, but just remember he was possessed when it happened. You know how that stuff works. Don't give him a hard time." Ladybug shot out her yoyo and swung off. She noticed Nathanael's head shoot up as she left.

  
"What did I do?" He scrambled to his feet and Ladybug prayed Chat would take it easy on him. It hadn't been his fault either.

  
She swung off further, racing across the rooftops to her home and landed in a nearby alleyway with a flash of light. Marinette peaked out of the dark area and jogged across the road to her home. "Mama! Papa! I'm home!" She called up the stairs as she opened the side door.

  
"Marinette! How was the celebration? Was it fun?" Her mother called back down as Marinette ascended the stairs.

  
Marinette suppressed a wince as she realised that if Chat stopped by like he was definitely likely to do, the whole thing about the forced kiss was going to come out. Her parents were not going to be impressed. She wondered how she could spin this in a way so as not to worry her parents.

  
She walked into the kitchen and greeted her mother with a kiss on the cheek, sniffing curiously over her shoulder at the Chinese dish. "It was...interesting. That looks nice!"

  
"What do you mean by 'interesting', Marinette?" Marinette jumped as she noticed her father seated on the couch with an eyebrow raised. He stared her down and Marinette briefly wondered if her bedroom was going to become the tower to Chat's princess.

  
She let out a nervous giggle and rubbed the back of her head. _'How do I phrase this without getting grounded until I'm thirty?'_

  
"Um, I kinda...You see... You know all the attacks that have been happening lately with the possessions?" Ladybug and Chat Noir had made a big deal about how the people responsible for the various attacks were victims themselves and had no true control over their actions. It was public knowledge and allowed the Akuma victims to recover without the threat of arrest hanging over them. "One of them kinda invited me to the celebration. Just the two of us."

  
Both of her parents froze. "Marinette?" She turned to face her mother whose face had paled. "Please tell me you didn't."

  
Marinette giggled again, nerves wracking through her body. _'How is it I can face down an Akuma both as Ladybug and as Marinette with a cool head but when going up against my parent's disappointment, I'm doomed?'_

  
"Would it help if I said Chat Noir was there?"

  
Her father crossed his arms. "What were you doing?"

  
Marinette propped one hand on her hip and rubbed the back of her head again. "I was acting as a distraction. I agreed to do it! Ladybug had other duties and they wanted to try to catch this guy without anybody getting injured. They both asked me several times if I wanted to back out and I said no. This was the best chance they had at stopping him without anybody getting hurt! Chat was there pretty much the whole time!" Marinette gestured in front of her. She felt awkward and desperate to get the point across to her parents that other people could have gotten hurt if she hadn't gone. She also needed to warn them about Chat's potential visit. "It went a bit...sideways but I'm fine! I'm totally okay! And Chat said he was going to stop by again to make sure." She slumped slightly as her parents looked at each other. "Look, I'll give you the full details later but what happened wasn't his fault and he's pretty torn up about it. Just be nice. Please."

  
Marinette's mother sighed as she waved her spoon at  her daughter. "I am not happy about this. Set out another place for him. We can feed him because I will be getting the full story out of you and Chat Noir." She turned back to the oven.

  
Marinette smiled awkwardly as she began to set out a fourth place for Chat. "Oh, I have no doubt about that."

_  
'This is going to be the weirdest thing ever.'_   She internally sent a prayer to her ancestors to give Chat some sort of protection from her parents.

**_  
DING!_ **

_  
'That was quick.'_ Marinette slipped out and down the stairs at speed and yanked the door open to Chat Noir's relieved face.

  
"Princess! I see you got home safely." He grinned at her widely, only for it to fall slightly when her right hand rubbed her left bicep.

  
"Arrived safely. Yeah, however, my parents want to know what happened. I am going to be so grounded." Marinette groaned out. She sighed. "I mentioned you were going to stop by to check on me and now they kinda want to talk to you. Have you had dinner? Mama's got some _Niú Ròu Miàn_ on and a place at the table for you. I don't think 'no' is going to be a choice with them."

  
Chat blinked at her, his tail stilling in shock. "Sorry, I could've just sworn you said I was invited for dinner."

  
Marinette raised an eyebrow at him and nodded. "Yes. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

  
"Would you like to stay forever?"

  
Marinette jumped and spun around to glare at her mother who was standing smugly at the top of the staircase. "Mama! Did you just 'Mulan' me?"

  
Marinette's mother raised an eyebrow at her daughter and grinned slyly. "It's your own fault, dear. A handsome man at the door, you say that line and you expect me not to take the chance? I've been waiting to use it since you announced at the age of six that you wanted to be Mulan when you grew up after watching the movie. Now bring him up. The food's ready."

  
Marinette groaned and rubbed her forehead as she turned back to Chat. The urge to give a flat stare at the amused smirk on his face was almost too much.

  
"Handsome man eh?"

  
Marinette rolled her eyes but smiled at her faithful partner and gestured for him to follow her into her warm home.

  
"Just get in here. I hope you like Chinese."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for any mistakes I made with Marinette's fight scene. The martial art I chose for Marinette to practice was a Chinese Martial Art, _Ba Gua Zhang_. I watched about six videos with female _Ba Gua Zhang_ practitioners and about seven other videos. I also trawled through about five websites with advice for practitioners. Hopefully, I managed to capture the essence of the art. You should all go watch some of those videos. They look amazing.
> 
> _RANT_  
>  So this chapter dealt with some pretty harsh stuff. Namely, the sexual harassment which is what non-consensual kissing classifies as regardless of who is kissing you. 
> 
> Always tell someone you can trust such as a close friend, a family member, teacher, work colleague or even a counsellor. They will be able to help you. 
> 
> Like Marinette did, if anyone (regardless of gender, familiarity/relationship with the person or location) does anything that even remotely makes you feel endangered or otherwise uncomfortable, you have every right to remove yourself from the situation. 
> 
> Any harassment can be reported to the police and any type of assault should be reported as soon as possible to them. A _real_ police officer will take any reports seriously and endeavour to resolve the matter to the best of their abilities. Your local victim support group can be contacted at any time and will always try to help you. 
> 
> If you are injured, the hospital is also always available and they can help support you physically, mentally, emotionally.


	3. Pun-ishments And A-Paw-ologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir joins the Dupain-Cheng family for dinner, Marinette finds that her father has too much in common with her partner and Alya finds out about Marinette's date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be up on Tuesday and I'm sorry it’s late. X-mas with the extended family took up more time than I thought it would.

_'This is the strangest thing I've done.'_ Marinette decided as she and Chat Noir walked up the stairs into her home. To have her crime fighting partner walking and welcome in her home.  
  


_'I wonder if he'd ever walk in here without the mask._ ' Marinette shook off that thought. It was too dangerous a train of thought to follow through. It didn't stop her from spotting the tension in Chat's frame.

  
"Chat. You know they will like you." She gave Chat a wide smile and tilted her head up towards the door to her living area. A nervous Chat Noir in her house was something she would never forget. The poor cat looked like he was a moment away from bolting back out of the door.

  
Chat glanced at her and gave an unsteady smirk. "I'm sure they will, Princess." His hands were clenching by his sides. Both leather cat ears were perked upwards and twitched with every sound.

  
Shaking her head with a soft giggle, the dark haired girl led the hero through the hallway and into the kitchen where both her parents stood with bright smiles on their faces. Marinette noticed how both of them took in Chat's nervousness and how their smiles became a touch softer. "Chat Noir, these are my parents, Tom and Sabine." Marinette gestured to her parents and her papa grinned, holding out a hand.

  
"It's wonderful to meet you! Yourself and Ladybug will always be welcome in our bakery for everything you have done for Paris and for looking after our daughter tonight." Tom shook Chat's hand firmly and it was only due to Marinette knowing her partner intimately that she spotted the slight tension in his shoulders dissipate at the warm greeting, only for it to return at the end of the sentence.

  
Chat gave a rueful smile that didn't reach his eyes. It hurt to watch the regret appear in his eyes. "More like your daughter looked after me tonight. You have an amazing girl, sir."

  
Marinette opened her mouth but her father beat her to it. "That I do but, it still reassures me that you were there with her. I doubt you just stood aside while she was in danger." Bending down to his eye level, Tom smiled warmly at the despondent boy and squeezed his hand in comfort.

  
Chat's eyes brightened and his smile softened into something more genuine. His shoulders dropped as the tension completely left his body. His ears perked up as Marinette suppressed a relieved giggle at the sight.

  
Sabine smiled as she gestured to the table for Chat to take a seat at the table. She patted him on the shoulder as the hero tried to insist that he should help since he was an unexpected guest, but Sabine merely levelled him with an oddly familiar look that sent him slinking into his place.

  
Marinette suppressed a giggle. She whispered to him as Chat took his seat next to her. "Nice to know Papa and I aren't the only ones to get that look when we try to help." She almost lost her internal battle to keep her snickers silent when Chat gave her a betrayed look.

  
Tom and Sabine's places sat opposite to the duo and the smells of the beef noodle soup in the pot wafted over from the oven. It made Marinette's mouth water.  Sabine served up the soup and passed the bowls out to each of the seated.

  
"Thank you. It smells wonderful." Chat gave a polite smile as he received his dinner. The small Chinese woman grinned widely at the compliment as she took her own spot at the table.

  
Marinette concealed her own grin with a sip of the noodle soup. Trust her alley cat to turn into a perfectly behaved house cat in the presence of her parents. Marinette briefly entertained the thought of Chat behaving like this when he met with Ladybug. She shook her head lightly.

_  
'That would be totally weird for a Chat Noir without the puns...I am never telling him that.'_

  
The meal passed in an amicable silence with small compliments and friendly smiles. Marinette immediately collected each of the bowls and shallow ceramic spoons for the dishwasher next to the table once the meal was over. Moving around the small kitchen in a long ingrained habit, Marinette worked in tandem with her mother to make four cups of hot tea.

  
As the tea soaked and the two women slipped back into their seats, Sabine looked at the two teens seriously. "I think we should talk about what happened tonight."

  
The duo glanced at each other and Marinette bit her lip. Nerves rippled through her body and her palms began to sweat. She wasn't sure how her parents would take it. A large gloved hand slipped into one of hers and squeezed it slightly before retreating. The brief interaction calmed her down drastically and she took a breath.

  
Marinette explained how The Evillustrator has broken into her room and invited her out. She spoke how he had given her a bad feeling and how she felt she couldn't refuse his offer least he did something drastic.

  
"After he left, Ladybug dropped in. She was really nice about the whole thing and reassured me that I didn't have to do it. I wanted to, though! We were just discussing ways to corner him when she had to leave. She told me that something else had come up and that Chat would be there to protect me. She left and I got ready for the 'celebration'. I had my baton and mace with me. Then I met Chat outside the house."

  
Marinette took a sip of her tea and Chat took over the explanation. He spoke about how Marinette met with The Evillustrator and how he had watched from a distance for a while. He looked down at the cup as if it held the confidence he needed as he spoke of how he had leapt from a bridge onto the barge. Pride threaded through his voice and Marinette blushed as Chat told her parents how level-headed she had been. But bitterness overtook his voice as he spoke of how he had been trapped.

  
"I'm sorry. I should have known that he would have been too quick for me before I leapt at him. That was how he managed to corner Marinette. If I had just thought for a minute..." He trailed off. Chat's hands tightened around the cup before Marinette placed a hand on his wrist, squeezing it in comfort. Just as Chat had taken over when she felt unable to, Marinette took over speaking for her unsettled partner.

  
"The Evillustrator cornered me and he forced a kiss on me." The words were flat and factual. Her parents both paled and Sabine leant onto Tom as he wrapped a large arm around his wife. Marinette went to continue but, Chat's miserable voice cut through.

  
"I tried to get out to stop him but Marinette defended herself brilliantly." The Unlucky Hero gave Marinette a side look and a sad smile played over his lips. She bent closer to him comfortingly. "It was amazing. She was totally in control and the incredible way she handled herself. She managed to knock him out and free me from the trap." The faint dash of red crossed Chat's cheeks again, his voice awestruck, but Marinette didn't dwell on it as Chat continued on with a slightly bitter note in his voice. "Marinette left for home once we docked and Ladybug showed up not long afterwards. She purified the Akuma so he won't bother anyone any longer. Then I came here to check on your daughter. I'm so sor-" Chat looked at the two adults with a tense jaw and wide green eyes when Marinette pulled away from him and scowled.

  
"CHAT NOIR! I swear if you apologise one more time, I will do exactly what I did to that Akuma to you! I am fine! Stop apologising! It wasn't your fault!" She crossed her arms and glared at the leather clad boy, ignoring her wide-eyed parents.

  
Chat looked like a deer in the flashlights and blinked bewilderedly at her. "If you don't yell at me like that again, I'll stop _a-paw-logising_."

  
Marinette groaned as her parents let out a disbelieving stunned laugh simultaneously. "That was awful, Chat." Both of her parents relaxed and Marinette could only breathe a sigh of relief as the tension of the moment was broken.

  
Chat gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head like he always did when he got embarrassed. "Sorry Princess. Reflex."

  
Marinette had a sinking feeling as Tom opened his mouth with an odd glint in his eye.

  
"I suppose you could say the Akuma was _toast_ after Marinette _baked his cake_."

 _  
'Oh no.'_ Marinette closed her eyes.

  
Chat blinked at the large baker and a wide grin spread across his face. "Well, I just had to check on her afterwards. It was the _yeast_ I could do after such a _bread-ful_ event." Tom let out a booming laugh as Chat sat with a smug countenance.

  
Opening her eyes, Marinette shared a suffering look with her mother.

  
"And _rye_ wouldn't you? _Any-bun_ would rise to the occasion."

  
" _Muffin_ to it sir. _Dough_ , I doubt I could ever _baguette_ such a sweet girl like your daughter."

  
Marinette dropped her head onto the table and groaned as her mother patted her head sympathetically while Chat and Tom continued to converse, increasingly bad puns threaded throughout the exchange. She was happy that Chat was cheering up but did it have to be through him sharing puns with her father?

 

* * *

 The next day was bright, sunny and the skies held no evidence of the clouds that had been in abundance the night before. Marinette felt this day would be a vast improvement on the one before. The morning had already been wonderful. She hadn't been late, all of her lessons yielded no extra work for her, Chloe was too busy to harass her and Adrien had even smiled at her!

 

She stood in front of her locker and watched as Alya tried to interview Chloè for details about the attack in the library yesterday. Chloè, predictably, was making out that she had been personally saved by Ladybug and that the heroes of Paris had escorted her home to protect her.  Marinette shook her head. Yesterday could have gone a lot worse but everything had turned out reasonably well.

 

She looked down at the new strap of her purse with Tikki safely tucked inside. Thankfully only the actual string had broken and not the metal loop. It had only been a matter of finding a temporary replacement until she could make a proper one during the weekend. Marinette had found a black cord that would serve adequately until that time.

 

She was startled out of her thoughts when Sabrina approached her from behind.  The bespectacled girl was wearing a familiar bowed béret on her head."I hope you had fun last night with those important things."

 

Marinette faced the girl with an apologetic look. "I really am sorry for last night but if you want, we can meet in the library to work on the presentation together." After all the excitement of the previous night, Marinette had completely forgotten about the presentation and she did want to make up for yesterday with Sabrina.  
  


Unfortunately, Sabrina seemed to have other plans. "Sorry but Chloè and I are doing the project together." She clasped her hands and stood proudly with her back to Marinette.

  
The dark haired girl frowned. She had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what Sabrina really meant. The poor girl really did need a better friend than Chloè. "You mean you are doing the project." Marinette crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow as Sabrina turned around with a wide-eyed look.

  
"But of course! After yesterday in the library, she must've been so scared! She even called me last night to apologise! She needed me after Chat Noir left her when he told her she was no longer in danger!" Sabrina gasped out and held her hands under her chin.

  
Marinette just wondered if Chloè had twisted her own words and apologised without saying the actual words or had put on fake tears and allowed Sabrina to read into it as she wanted to as the amateur designer pressed a hand to her temple in frustration. Either way, Marinette couldn't do much more. She just hoped that Sabrina came to her senses soon. Marinette looked back up and smiled at the vibrant girl. "I like your béret by the way. It looks nice on you."

  
Sabrina gave Marinette a genuine smile and adjusted the béret. "I know! Chloè lent it to me. She really is my best friend!" She bounced on the balls of her feet and waved to the two girls a few lockers down.  "Chloè! I finished all of your geography homework!" She skittered off up to the blonde girl who appeared to be winding down her rant about how Chat Noir had abandoned her.

  
Marinette sighed and shrugged helplessly. Sabrina would find her own way soon enough. She shut her locker.

  
"Hey!"

  
Marinette let out a strangled yell and leapt backwards as Adrien appeared from behind her door.

_  
'WHERE DID HE COME FROM?!'_

  
Marinette had a slightly stunned look on her face as she could feel her heart begin to race. A blush was desperately trying to make its home on her face but Marinette managed to suppress it just enough for only the faintest traces to appear.

_  
'At least, my face isn't like a tomato this time.'_

  
Her mind was starting to blank out as it usually did and she possessed just enough control to listen to what Adrien was saying.

  
"I heard about your adventures with Chat Noir last night. Are you ok?" It was only due to the way Adrien held himself that Marinette was able to snap out of the slight daydream that was beginning to take shape. His eyes seemed to be filled with concern and his whole body appeared to be forcing itself to relax. Even the tone of his voice, usually polite and distantly compassionate, was threaded with unease. It bore a striking resemblance to someone she couldn't quite put her finger on.

  
"Me? Um, sure! I...I'm fine!" Her stutter only made him straighten from his previous position of leaning on the locker next to hers.

_  
'Alya! Help!'_

  
"Hey! What's this I hear about Chat Noir?" Said girl appeared at Marinette's shoulder and made her snap her head towards her friend.

_  
’Talk about double-sided luck!'_ Marinette was about to brush it off when Adrien started explaining it to Alya.

  
"Marinette apparently helped Chat Noir last night with one of those possessions." Adrien gestured towards Marinette who sighed in resignation.

_  
'Well, there goes lunch.’_

  
Marinette turned to the amateur journalist, putting Adrien just behind her right shoulder. "Alya, really. It was nothing. I showed up. The guy took me on a boat ride. Chat Noir showed up. He caught the guy. I left and he showed up at my house to check on me afterwards. Oh and my parents invited him to dinner which I now sort of regret allowing to happen." Marinette shrugged as she explained in the briefest details of the night before. She didn't want to worry Alya when the event was already over. Having her parents and Chat worry about her was more than enough. She was banking on Alya latching onto the last sentence and get distracted from the lack of detail of the 'date'.

  
"What? Why'd you say that?" Alya looked outraged and pouted at the designer. Her arms were crossed and she started tapping her foot.

_  
'Bingo.’_

  
Neither girl noticed the brief look of hurt that passed over Adrien's face. He looked as if he wanted to leave but was too curious to do so. He shifted his weight awkwardly as Marinette spoke.

  
"Let's just say my papa now has a whole new variety of bread puns after Chat Noir's visit. Ladybug and him also now gets free sweets from the store." Marinette put on a look of faux-pain when she mentioned the puns and Alya broke into laughter. Marinette mock-pouted at the blogger and tried to smother her own laughter, forgetting that Adrien was just out of her line of sight. She waved her hands expressively at her friend. "It's not funny! I swear if I ever hear another baking or bread pun, I'll go find Chat Noir and ...I don't know... force feed him cupcakes! And get you film it for _The Ladyblog_!" Alya's giggles started getting a little out of control and Marinette was suddenly reminded of Adrien's existence  when she heard him snort over her shoulder. She looked back at him.

  
He was trying to smother a smile behind a hand and his shoulders were shaking. There was no sign of his earlier troubled mood. Marinette could feel the heat crawling across her cheeks but managed to give a bashful smile at the snickering model.

_  
'Wow. Go me. I smiled at him without spazzing. Oh god. What if I start spazzing again?! What if he thinks I' m weird and never wants to talk to me again!? What if he gets a restraining order against me and I never see the light of day again?! WHAT IF HE...'_

  
"M..Marinette?"

  
The increasingly ridiculous daydreams were brought to a sudden halt by the quiet nervous stammer behind the giggling group. All three classmates turned to face Nathanael who  was fidgeting with the notebook in his hands and had a miserable look on his face.

  
"Nathanael? What's wrong?" Marinette frowned and faced the blushing artist. She took in his nervous demeanour; the way he was avoiding her eyes and staring dejectedly at the floor. It looked as if he wanted to leave, to flee her very presence. She could feel the worry swell up inside her.

_  
'Chat, what did you say to him?'_

  
"I...I wanted to apologise for yesterday." Nathanael shook his head as Marinette made to interrupt. "No. Chat told me what I did to you! I...I'm so sorry. I should never have done that and I-"

  
"Nathanael!" Marinette yelled as she brought her hands to the artist's own shaking ones. She held them reassuringly and gave a soft smile. "It's okay."

  
"No, it's not!" Nathanael's eyes widened and he made to pull his hands from Marinette's, only to find them seized firmly and tightly.

  
"Nathanael, listen to me." Marinette's blue eyes bore into the artist's own. "You were possessed. It's okay. You weren't yourself when you forced that kiss on me." She could tell Nathanael didn't believe a word. "Would you do that to me now?"

  
Nathanael's head shook rapidly and he opened his mouth to speak. Marinette continued, pulling her hands away from his and gesturing, not noticing Alya's shell-shocked face. "Exactly! Everyone knows those possessions corrupts all of your emotions, especially positive ones. If I blamed you, then I'd have to apologise as well."

  
When the red-headed student frowned in confusion at her, she started ticking off her own 'transgressions'. "I'm sorry for lying to you about coming alone. I'm sorry for leading you on when you asked me to join you for your birthday. I'm sorry for kneeing you in the groin." Both boys winced but the designer carried on. "I'm sorry for almost breaking your jaw when I slammed my steel baton into your cheek. I'm sorry for almost twisting your arm out of your shoulder socket. I'm sorry shoving you head first into a solid glass wall. And finally, I'm sorry for kicking you in the head and knocking you out." Marinette crossed her arms and shrugged. Both girls and Nathanael were completely oblivious to Adrien's cheeks flushing and a strange reminiscing look passing over his face briefly. "We could even find Chat Noir and let him apologise for the umpteenth time for not being able to completely stop you. He can apologise for worrying his leather tailed butt off about my fifteen-minute walk home. He can even apologise for worrying so much about me, he came to my house to check on me afterwards and introduced my papa to a whole new variety of baking jokes." Marinette stared her stunned classmate down. "It wasn't your fault. I won't deny that it was creepy because that would degrade just how serious the situation was. I've never been in that kind of position before and it scared me, but not for one minute did I blame you for any of it. The only person I blame is the guy behind all these attacks. Neither you or Chat Noir would have been able to stop it and I'm sure you would never have done it if you had been yourself. It wasn't your fault."

  
Nathanael nodded bewilderedly and walked off out of the locker room. Marinette sighed and chewed on her lower lip lightly. She hadn't realised Nathanael would have been this affected even if he didn't remember any of the events. She could only hope that he would be ok and that he knew she didn't blame him.

  
"Marinette? What the heck was that about?!" The furiously hissed question jolted Marinette and she spun around to face a red-faced Alya.

_  
'Uh oh.'_

  
Alya was trembling, fists clenched and eyes hard. Her jaw was tense. The black phone in her right hand let out a small groan, protesting the pressure. She had squared her shoulders and it looked as if Marinette wouldn't be able to gloss her way over the incident again.

  
Marinette sighed and began to pull her friend out of the locker room. She waved to Adrien absent-mindedly. She had to get Alya somewhere private so when she did lose her temper, only Marinette would see it. She didn't think having the incident spread all over school would be good for anyone. "We'll catch up with you later Adrien. It was nice of you to check on me but I'm fine. Chat Noir took great care of me and he was very sweet about the whole thing. He's definitely my favourite between the duo." She sent him a kind smile and dragged her fuming friend from the room so she could fully explain, ignorant of the slowly forming flush across the model's cheeks and the words he whispered after her.

  
"Your favourite huh?" Maybe he should take Tom up on his offer of free goodies.

 

* * *

 Alya sat in Marinette's room, hands cradling her head. Marinette had explained in dragged out detail exactly what had happened the night before while pacing her room. Her parents had called up the school and had managed to get both girls out of school for the remainder of the day.

  
"I can't believe you did that. Actually, wait. Yes, I can. What I can't believe is that you weren't going to tell me! Marinette why did you agree to do it?" Alya raised her head from her hands and looked beseechingly at her friend. She was seated on Marinette's chaise while the girl in question stood awkwardly in front of her with her hand rubbing the back of her neck.

  
Marinette gestured in front of her, trying to get the blogger to understand her actions. "Alya, I had to! What if he'd gone after other people? What if someone had gotten hurt because I didn't want to go on a single measly date with him?" It was the one thing that had been on her mind for the entirety of the night. It was Ladybug's duty to stop Akuma attack regardless of if she was in spots or not.

  
"You could have gotten hurt! You almost did!" Alya pointed at her friend who merely crossed her arms and sighed. Marinette's head dropped and she closed her eyes.

  
"If I had said no, he would have come after me anyway!" Marinette walked over to the window and stared out of it. She ran a hand through her hair. "At least that way, Chat was there to back me up." A small smile flittered over her face at the memory of how caring Chat had been and how much he had shown he cared about her as Marinette last night. The way he just seemed to fit in with her small, tight-knit family only sent a feeling of contentment where nervousness should have been. Even after Chat managed to relax for the majority of the evening, he still inquired after her as he left the bakery. It gave her a warm sensation. A feeling that let her know that one day, one day¸ she might just be brave enough to show him-

  
"Fat load of good that was." Alya's voice was flat and the undertone of bitterness in her words caused Marinette to snap her head around.

  
The amateur designer narrowed her eyes and spun to face her friend fully before yelling outraged. "ALYA! Don't you dare! He was really shaken up about it and I won't hear you raging off against him for it!" Her fists clenched and Marinette could feel the fury wracking through her veins, every inch of her ready to defend her partner to her last breath. "It wasn't his fault!"

  
Alya slumped and huffed. "I know. I know." The blogger looked up at her friend. She had a soft pleading look with wide eyes and a tight smile. "I'm just worried about you, Cherie. You're my best friend and it scares me that you were in danger like that."

  
The white hot fury that had burned through Marinette cooled to a tired understanding. Marinette sighed and sat next to the blogger. She pulled her friend into a side hug and propped her chin on Alya's shoulder. "I'm ok. You know I'm good at defending myself. Chat even said so."

  
Alya rested her head on the designers. "Yeah yeah. I know." The two girls sat in silence, taking comfort in the close contact. After a few moment, Alya snorted and spoke wryly. "On the upside, you were actually able to speak to Adrien without the usual mind blank."

  
Marinette froze. Her mind went over the interaction with the gorgeous blonde model.

_  
'What. Have. I. Done.'_

  
"Oh My God. OH MY GOD! I told him Chat Noir was sweet! And that he was my favourite! What if he feels put off by that? What if he thinks I have a crush on Chat? What if he..."

  
As Marinette continued to babble manically with her voice slowly gaining pitch and volume, Alya broke out laughing. She pulled out of the hug, clutched her sides and shook with the force of her giggles. To that Marinette was fine and still freaking out over Adrien was a piece of normality that reassured Alya like nothing else.

  
"Oh, _Cherie_. Never change."

  
Marinette collapsed face first onto the chaise and bemoaned her fate for the rest of the afternoon while Alya patted her head sympathetically.

_  
'This is really is just my luck.'_

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [An Unlikely Friendship](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11706021) by [Fairia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairia/pseuds/Fairia)




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